Glossary · Definition
Stoicism
Stoicism is the ancient philosophy founded by Zeno (~300 BC), focused on virtue, controlling your responses to events (rather than the events themselves), and acceptance of what's outside your control.
Definition
Stoicism is the ancient philosophy founded by Zeno (~300 BC), focused on virtue, controlling your responses to events (rather than the events themselves), and acceptance of what's outside your control.
What it means
Three Roman Stoics dominate modern practice: Marcus Aurelius (Meditations), Epictetus (Discourses, Enchiridion), Seneca (Letters). Core ideas: dichotomy of control (focus only on what you can change — your judgments, actions), negative visualization (imagine losing what you have, builds gratitude), memento mori (remember death), virtue is sufficient for happiness, you control your reactions even when you don't control events.
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Why it matters
Stoicism had a major comeback in 2010-2025 via Ryan Holiday, Tim Ferriss, and the broader self-improvement world. It's a working framework for handling stress, setbacks, and uncertainty without therapy or religion. Practical, evidence-aligned, requires daily practice rather than weekly belief.
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Frequently asked questions
Best entry book?
Marcus Aurelius's Meditations (Hays translation). Personal journal format, easy to read in chunks. Or Ryan Holiday's 'The Daily Stoic' for a year of one-page-a-day practice.
Stoicism vs CBT?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy borrows directly from Stoicism — the framing of 'it's not events, it's our judgments of events that disturb us' is straight from Epictetus.